MP3 Neil Rosengarden - Some Of The Things We Do
Fusing Classical, Rock, and other styles, Neil was way ahead of the curve, as this old school recording shows.
16 MP3 Songs
POP: 70''s Pop, POP: with Live-band Production
Details:
Neil Rosengarden (his seventh release of 2006)
Some Of The Things We Do
1. 21 Days
In the winter of my senior year of High School, my pal Skip Reed, who now goes by his original name of Paul, called me on the phone, and asked if I would be interested in writing a piece for a Rock Trio, and Orchestra.
I said, yes.
Weeks later, we performed at Symphony Hall in Boston as part of the "Boston Rock Symphony" on March 20, 1970. The orchestra consisted of players from the New England Conservatory of Music, and other various places. I wrote the piece in three weeks, hence the title. This is the studio version of the above work. It was an Artist demo for RCA. I flunked. A month after the concert, one Richard Salter, who help produce the concert, and was going to be my manager secured an audition at RCA and this recording is it. They turned me down, but I have this fine audio recording as a consolation prize.
NR - Piano, Hammond Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass, Percussion
Daniel Reed - Violin
Paul Reed - Vibraphone
Recorded April 21, 1970 @ RCA Studio A New York, NY
Recording Engineer - Unknown
Overdubs recorded @ Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, NY
Recording Engineer - Joel Kerr
2. Kogel Comes Home
Robert and I used to play guitar and piano alot, and this is one of those ditties that we would play on. It was really cool having the string session overdub to play those chords, especially the harmonics at the end. I was into layering piano, and organ with the strings carrying some sustain and Robert noodling about. It always sounded like mysterious Gershwin.
NR - Piano, Electric Bass, Drums, Percussion
Robert Kogel - Electric Guitar
Violins - David Nadien, Gene Orloff, Emanuel Green,
Richard Sortomme, Jules Schachter, Harry Lookofsky
Violas - Emanuel Vardi, Al Brown
Celli - Charles McCracken, Jesse Levy
Bass - George Duvivier
3. Lusty Johnson
Who among my peers has not dreamed of singing through a Leslie speaker? Well, I did it in 1972. Kogel suggested the title. Dave Johnson was a conga player who played with Googie and Tom Coppola.
NR - Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Electric Bass
4. 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe
If I can remember correctly, Seth Kimball and I recorded the second pass with Drums, and Electric Bass over my original double tracked Acoustic Guitar parts. Parts of that really clicked for me.
NR - Acoustic Guitars, Trumpets, Hammond Organ, Drums, Percussion
Seth Kimball - Electric Bass
5. Find Me
This song was written for the one that got away.
NR - Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Hammond Organ
6. G
An instrumental thing I layered with Piano, Fender Rhodes, and Hammond Organ. It’s in G.
NR - Piano, Hammond Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass, Drums
7. No Name Rag
Another love song to the one that got away. I couldn’t think of a title, and I was having a hell of a time making it sound right. Gene Paul came to the rescue, and did some equalization and saved the day.
NR - Vocals, Piano, Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, Flugelhorn
Violins - David Nadien, Gene Orloff, Emanuel Green,
Richard Sortomme, Jules Schachter, Harry Lookofsky
Violas - Emanuel Vardi, Al Brown
Celli - Charles McCracken, Jesse Levy
Bass - George Duvivier
8. What Can It Be?
This is the song that Atlantic signed me as a Staff Producer and an Artist over. If I could do it all over again, I would have given them more stuff that sounded like this.
NR - Vocals, Piano, Hammond Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass, Drums, Percussion
9. You Resemble a Bomb
Rock Trio Audition tape stuff. I had lyrics for a certain part of it that went: “Freud’s Interpretations of Dreams, At Waldbaum’s!” There was a shopping bag on the table next to a book where we would play at Danny’s apt. at the Chalfonte Hotel. I had no idea how popular bombs really were!
NR - Piano, Hammond Organ, Trumpet, Drums, Percussion
Mike Feingold - Flute, Tenor Saxophone
Daniel Reed - Violin
Paul Reed - Vibraphone, Percussion
John Siegler - Electric Bass
Mark Rosengarden - Drums
Recorded April 21, 1970 @ RCA Studio A New York, NY
Recording Engineer - Unknown
Overdubs recorded @ Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, NY
Recording Engineer - Joel Kerr
10. Ankle
A country piano tune that I wrote right in the studio at Atlantic. I used sand blocks with lots of reverb on them. (of course!)
NR - Piano, Electric Bass, Marimba, Sandpaper Blocks, Drums
11. Peter’s Clothes
When Robert Kogel played me this song, I just knew we had to record it. I always loved the line - “Integrated groove - my feet tell me where to move”. I think it fits in pretty well with everything else.
NR - Vocals, Piano, Hammond Organ, Electric Bass, Drums, Percussion
Robert Kogel - Lead Vocal, Acoustic and Electric Guitars
12. The Fascinating High Paying Hotel Motel Field
I got that title off a book of matches. I like switching time signatures, too.
NR - Piano, Hammond Organ, Electric Bass, Drums, Percussion
13. Find Me (reprise)
I thought that four flugelhorns playing the melody in unison, and then splitting off into a chord would be a nice effect. That’s Charles McCracken playing Cello in it’s higher range in the introduction with the piano. Oh, boy! That string section was the greatest!
NR - Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass, Flugelhorns, Percussion
Violins - David Nadien, Gene Orloff, Emanuel Green,
Richard Sortomme, Jules Schachter, Harry Lookofsky
Violas - Emanuel Vardi, Al Brown
Celli - Charles McCracken (solo), Jesse Levy
Bass - George Duvivier
14. Henrietta IV
My brother, Mark gave this it’s title. I can remember playing it in the Little House in Great Neck. It’s very Gospel-y for someone like me.
NR - Hammond Organ
Paul Reed - Vibraphone
John Siegler - Electric Bass
Mark Rosengarden - Drums
Recorded April 21, 1970 @ RCA Studio A New York, NY
Recording Engineer - Unknown
15. Ostinato Shoes
I was trying to please Arif, and I figured he would dig this piece. He never really said anything about it one way or the other. It’s got a Turkish feel, I think.
NR - Piano, Electric Bass, Drums, Flugelhorns
16. Sleep
I crossfaded into this song which sounds kind of Russian to me. I put everything and the kitchen sink at the conclusion.
NR - Vocals, Piano, Electric Bass, Drums, Percussion, Trumpet
Violins - David Nadien, Gene Orloff, Emanuel Green,
Richard Sortomme, Jules Schachter, Harry Lookofsky
Violas - Emanuel Vardi, Al Brown
Celli - Charles McCracken, Jesse Levy
Bass - George Duvivier
Recorded in February, 1972 @ Atlantic Recording Studios New York, NY
Recording Engineer - Joel Kerr
Mixed by Neil Rosengarden except for No Name Rag which was mixed by Gene Paul
CD Mastering by Neil Rosengarden
Produced, Arranged, and Conducted by Neil Rosengarden
© 2006 P Neil Rosengarden
All Compositions by Neil Rosengarden except for Peter’s Clothes which is by Robert Kogel
Pub. Neil Rosengarden Music - BMI
Cover photo by Steve Hoffman
Thanks to everyone who contributed in the making of this album.
Maybe you know who you are.
Special thanks to Arif Mardin.
In Memory of Wendy Charles Acey